Valve mechanism



Feb. 12, 1946. R. G, DYKEMAN A lVALVE MECHANISM Filed Jan. 25, 1943 N VENTOR l BY .V mTToR/VEY u Patented Feb. 12, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENToFFicE Reuben G. Dykeman, Dayton, Ohio, asrsignorA to United Aircraft Products, Inc., Dayton, Ohio,v y a corporation of Ohio 1 Application Jannary25, 1943, Serial No. 473,542 j 1 claim. (orari- 45) This invention relates to a relief valve for a viscosity controlled system of the type disclosed in the prior application, S. N. 223,678, filed August 8, 1938, by the present applicant and Henry B. Clark for Viscosity controlled unit. More particularly, the invention concerns means for utilizing the motive force of the fluid being controlled for driving the moving parts thereof, and for utilizing the variations in viscosity of such fluid for controlling the movements of the parts. y

The present invention is herein illustrated and described as applied to lubricating systems of the type used for airplane and the likermotors, for quickly bringing chilled, congealed or semi-duid oil to proper lubricating consistency wherein alternate flow paths are utilized for the oil in accordance with the current consistency of the oil. In this system, separate valves control the iiow of oil to the separate paths, the v alves being simultaneously subjected to the pressure ofthe incoming fluid and beingsoy responsive to the viscous lcharacter of the fluid as to govern the further course of the iiuid to onepath or the other. It is an object of this invention to provide a valve mechanism movable between `a numberof positions, yet having a substantially constant response throughout its various movements. Y

During the operationl of an engine vhaving a system of the type now contemplated, including an oil conditioning device, or heat exchanger, an oil pump for forcing the oil through the conditioner, and a reservoir in the return line from the conditioner to the engine, it has been found that air becomes trapped in the oil circuit, particularly during idling of the engine when oil pressure is low. When the speed of the engine is increased, the trapped air which is then pumped through the line creates false pressure or an air pocket. While the trapped air has heretbfore beeneliminated after it reaches the reservoir by venting, deleterious effects on the control valves, which lie between the pump and the reservoir have been experienced, since the valves rely for their ,operation and control, upon the viscosity of the fluid being administered. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a. valve mechanism-.having not onlya constant response tothe oilwhich it controls, but which will not bedeleteriously affected when subjected to false high f or low pressure resulting from air bubbles or pocketsin the oil. l

Yet another object of the invention is vto provide a valve mechanism which will vrelieve'the escape, such as a vented reservoir, via the shortest or least damaging path. y

`These anduother objectives, such as the provision of a valve mechanism easy and inexpensive to manufacture, simple toassemble, capable of precision adjustment and rugged and durable in operation, will be apparent from the ,followingv speciiication anddrawing, in which: v

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional View of a viscosity vcontrolled unit embodying the present invention and applied to a. heat exchange unit;

Fig. 2 is* an enlarged horizontalsectional view of the` viscosity controlled unit embodying the present invention; and

Fig. 3 is a detailed section view of a friction tube comprising a modification of the tube structure disclosed in the above-mentioned prior application S. N..223,67l8.

Referring now to the drawing, the inventionis Ashown applied to a conditioner for congealable liquids comprising a shell 2 forming a cylindrical main chamber of the type usually having air tubes (not showni' extending therethrough from` end to end, Aand having a plurality'of xed horizontal baffles 4 defining an elongatedtortuous, zig/zag passage as indicated by dash line 6, which shows the normal coursefof liquid, such fas oil, through 'the main'chamberafter entering anfinlet 8.

Surrounding shell 2 and spaced therefrom, ja cylindrical jacket I0 yencloses anannular warming chamber i2 lin'to"which the oil'normally ilowing along'course 6' through the main chamber enters through outlet lI4, thereafter to'pass along course i5 around thewarmin'g chamber and out through outlet tting I8. f ,A

While other and auxiliary yreservoirs'and outlets maybeutilized, it suflicesfor'present illustrative purposes to `state that afterleaving the warming chamber through outlet viitting'l8,`the liquid, hereinafter referred to in the vdescription as oil, is passedthrougha conduit, indicated by 'arrow line 29', to a vented reservoir Y22, and thence through return `line 24 toa motor or the like utilization device (not shown). Up'on leaving the motor, the oilV is generally pumped'r through a supply lineas shown at 26, back to the conditioner, where it Vflrst'enters'. the valve mechanism which, forms the 4essenceof this invention, through;inlet.28.` f 1 f The valve'mechanism'includes a hollow casing lrigidlyafiixed to the outside of warmingjacket I0, in the interior of whichcasi'ng is 'alcentral chamber 32, communmanne'fwitng inlet` 2a and through left and'` rightQveritricals 34 and36', r'e- 7spec'tively, rtbwinlet 8V of thema 'chamb'el and Y to an inlet 38 of warming chamber l2. Thevalve above;

The valve mechanism for selectively distribuir-j heated the oil withinY the main chamber so as to: f

make flow therethrough feasible, the valve mech- A anism closes the passage to right ventrical'v-S, and opens up the passage to the .leftventrical 34 so that then the ilow circuit vthrough tor` tuous passage 6, where cooling occurs, before laf holes 12 between threads 60 and 64, so that oil under Vpressure entering the lower ends of ducts 66 flows into passage 55 and to bellows 52 as,

therebetween so that iiow of thick, cold, congealed l ,foil through the inner passage is virtually prevented. In the lower end of friction tube 60, a

` cylindrical cage 16 is engaged, the cage `having a restrictedhopenng 'I3 in the bottom wall thereof. A checkvalvejli having a disc-like lower portion 517g and' -a plurality of upstanding, spaced segentering chamber I 2 and passing out `asdescribed ing the oil along course `i--H through the tor-3 tuous coolingV passage, andgout through warming chamber vl2 when the oil is cold and'congealed, or

` Vonly semi-fluid, comprises an annular valve seat 42 anda valve 44, the engaging surfaces 42', 44',` of the seat and valve being relatively long so as to require Vappreciable movement of valve 44 under unbalanced pressure conditionsbeforeilow therepast is initiated. {The rear end Vof valve 44 is slidably engaged around' a tubular slide Yguide Y46, the rear end of the slide guide being threaded in casing 30, as indicated at '48, and a coil springv 58 is ,engagedY under 4compression between the rear face of valve 44 and the rear end of slide guide 46 normally to bias-valve 44 into closed position. Y,

7^Valve 44 is also urged towards lclosed position fab by an expansible bellows 52, the ends Of whichV are aliixedy to the valve and slide guide 'so' as to form a closed chamber except for 'a duct 54 bored in the rear end of the slide guide and com-1 Ynlunicating througha duct 54' with a passage 56 casing'Bll. The end4`56 of vpassage 58 leads into Va bore xl'in Casing 38 and eventually,

` VVthrough a Aventuri or frictiony tube 60, back into central chamber 32Vso that, under certain conditions described below, oilunder pressure within central chamber 32`exertswpressure throughV friction tube 6i), bore 58, .ducts 56, 54, andinto the interior Vof expansible bellows 52 whereby to cooperatewith spring 58 to. hold valve 44 closed.

Ordinarily, there. is new of oil through the fri-v tion tube and ducts-into` and from bellows 52,`

the action Vbeing mainly, that oflpressure differ- Ydownvlrard' flowl of oil through restricted opening 1 8 byengagement of the disc-like lower portion 'I1 with the bottom wall of the cylindrical cage 16, ybut allowing oil under pressureto flow between the'side wall of thecagefand the segments 19 of the check valve to the lower ends of channels 66', when the pressure ofthe oil enterin'gopening 18V-is sufficient to raise the check valve from its position shown in Fig. 3 When check valve 'I5 is raised, the disc-like lower portion Il thereof lies above the'bcttom wall of cylindrical cage 'l'so that oil may flowr into circumferentially` spaced ,conduits 66 and inner channel 68' from between spacedA segmentsf'lli.Y g In order to prevent clogging ofrestrictedopenirg I8 and the narrow passages, a filterY screen 80A is afi'ixed--to thelower end of friction tube 68. Check valve '15,V when thegen;

gine and oilV pumpv are not functioning is in itsY Valve 84, whichv has its front'face beveled reare wardly andfthen flangedroutwardly as indicated at84', engages a valve seat 82, the rear working Y face of which is flared outwardly as shown at V82,

entials, and it should be noted that spring 58 is ,Y

so loaded that, when oil under comparatively great pressure is passed by the friction tube intov the bellows, Vthe pressure of the "oil within central 1 V'chamber 32 is overcome andvalv'e 44 Yis driven closed, but 'when comparatively little pressure prevails within bellows52,V the pressure within central chamber 32 vexerted against the front face v ofY valve 44 overcomes the closingbias of the Y spring 50'andrbe1lows 52, and the valve is thus Y drivenopen. 1

v Y Friction tubef, which is'engaged by spacedV sets of threads B2, `lillfinbore 58 in the casing,`

includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced conduits or ducts 66' anda central -bore orchan: n n'el'! ,so spaced from eachother a'sgtojfonn outer andinnerV concentric fluid channels which are l Grenat their lower ends. It 'willbefseen Yfrom 1 VFig- 3 that' the central bore'orchannel; 68' efX-Y -tezids into the head V of tnerrlction tube and' exits therefrom' through radialholesil, and.. that. the

Youter"conduits or ducts 66' exitthrough'radlal so that when closed, the frontf'of the valve presents relatively little area to the all under preslsure'within centralchamber`32.

Valve 84 is also provided with a hollowV stein 85-sliding in a slide guideY 86, the Vrrear end of the lslide'4 guide being'aixed in lcasing 38 as shown at 86andan expansion spring-970 istengaged under fcolnpression between the slide guide and the valve normally to bias the valve4 towards closed position against its seat. spring increases asV itis further compressed by opening movement of valve 84, increased driving` force for the valve isobtained by so forming the engaging faces 82', 84 of the seatand valve that,

las the valvebe'gins to open, vthe beveled and out-V wardly ilangedgportions thereof are linma'sked,

thusto expose a larger eifective' area to the oil yflowing from centralchamber 32;! Thus, ratioy of the Veffective resistarlce4 of the valve spring to the elfective opening forc'ewremains substantially constant throughout the ,entire range' ofV rnove-` Y* ment;

The. formation. i neerlegging' facesi'3f t1a'f V valve seat andthe valvealso'allows onl'yla'ngradual Y now efY oil; thmngnthe throat therebetween, as

'the valve mst nbegins toppen, ,the 'throatjpro- Agressively increasing in size ata 'rate much greater than the, rate of opening movement as ,thefvalve is.fo'rrce'd open.Y 'Tr rou smootnfand-gradual;operation f'va e' et'anedr. 'f

Since the resistance of the Asn the' as tf1'vsitefiifttfaterifatta f augmented or urged towards closed position by the pressure of oil through a passage, 92, but in this instance, passage 92 connectsholes 10 leading from inner passage 68 so that when back pressure is created in right ventrical 35 as described normally biased forwardly towards open position by a spring engaged under compression between the plug 94 and valve 9 6 so as to open a set of bleeder conduits |02 extending through valve 84 between central chamber 32 and right ventrical 36. The bias of spring |00 is such that when oil is pumped into chamber 32, the tractive force of the oil is suilicient to overcome spring |00 so that the valve 96 will remain closed. However, when air enters chamber 32, its tractive force will be insufficient to overcome spring |00 so that the valve will then open to allow the air to pass directly through the warming jacket to the vented reservoir.

In operation, assuming that the oil is cold and only semi-Huid, both valves 44 and 84 will be held closed by their respective springs and valve `96 will be open until the oil under pressure enters chamber 32 through inlet 28. Then valve S6 closes by the tractive force of the oil impinging thereagainst, and opening force is exerted by the oil against both valves 44 and 84. Valve 44 will remain closed because of the back pressure of oil entering friction tube 60 and passing through the large passage 66' eventually to expand bellows 52. Meanwhile, valve 84 will open because the resistance of spring 90 is alone insuiiicient to withstaand the force of the oil in chamber 32 in the absence of back pressure in the right ventrical 36. At this time, if any small lair bubbles are pumped in with the oil, they will escape through the throat between seat 82 and valve 84. If great pockets of air enter chamber 32, the tractive force of the air then is insufficient to hold valve 84 open, but when valve 84 closes, valve 96 opens to bleed the air out.

As the oil becomes heated and less viscous, it will flow out of `oellows 52 as the valve 4d is opened under the force of the pressure in chamber 32 and back through restricted passage 68 so as to equalize the pressures prevailing in right ventrical 3 6 and central chamber 32, thereby allowing spring to drive valve 84 closed.

The foregoing specification which describes the apparatus and method of directing a congealable iluid selectively along any one of a plurality of paths in accordance with the viscosity of the oil, of utilizing the tractive force of the oil itself for operating the distributing mechanism, and of separating lluids, such as oil and air, in accordance with their tractive forces, is illustrative only, since the teachings herein are applicable to other structures and fluid where similar problems are encountered and where similar results are desired.

I claim:

A valve of the character described including, a tubular body providing a fluid passage therethrough, said body having its outlet end formed to provide a iiat shoulder extending at right angles to the wall defining said uid passage so as to provide a circular valve seat having a sharp seating edge, said shoulder further having a flared part extending outwardly therefrom in the direction of uid flowing through said body so as to provide a second valve seat having an inclined valve receiving surface disposed in encircling spaced relation to the first-named valve seat, a ported valve member of substantially frustoconical form providing an intermediate inclined portion for engaging the first-named valve seat and a thin substantially radially outwardly extending tapered free end .portion providing a feather edge for engaging the second-named valve seat, means for normally biasing said ported valve member toward and into engagement with said seats, a second frusto-conical valve received in the ported area of the first-named valve member for controlling the flow of fluid through the latter, and means for normally biasing said second valve toward open position against the direction of iluid flowing through the tubular body.

REUBEN G. DYKEMAN. 

